How often are members asked to house/provide board for missionaries?

Apparently my area is receiving a new set of missionaries, but members are being asked if any of them can provide housing for them: a private room and private bathroom. I didn't realize that was a thing. Does this happen often? What happened to having them live in an apartment somewhere with the mission paying rent?

Comments (15)

I'm also really curious how the gender logistics would work out. If I can't invite a pair of elders into my home if my husband isn't home, and he can't invite a pair of sister missionaries into our home unless I'm there, how in the heck is a pair of missionaries supposed to straight up live in someone else's home? If they're elders, can they only come home if the husband is home? What if the husband has to go out for some reason while the missionaries are home? Or, vice versa with the sisters.

We've had a set living with an older couple for the last couple of years or so. It's been sisters - not elders. There are no apartments in our ward boundaries. I believe te couple was called as missionaries too.

It is more cost effective to have them housed in members homes vs. apartments.

In my area we had missionaries living in ward member's "mother in law" houses in their backyards. I suppose if those weren't offered up we would have had missionaries actually living in people's houses.

About 8 years ago, they did that where we live. The missionaries were renting the basement of a nonmember. Then all of the sudden, we were asked to help find a house for them in a member's home. I remember one of the requirements being that no children could live in the house at the same time.

I don't know if they still are living in members homes because we resigned.

There was a family in one of our wards that had a basement apartment they rented to the missionaries. I don't remember how much the mission paid but it was less than an apartment would cost. However there also were no apartment buildings within in area.

So, anyone know what happens when the sisters, for example, are in their room but the wife who lives there goes out. Can the sisters just stay in their room with just the husband there? Doesn't that violate mission rules somehow?

It cylces. For a time it was forbidden to rent from members. Other times it is the only way one can find and afford an apartment. And yes, it is hard for elders to discipline themselves to stay in their room and leave the house to do their missionary work, when all the distractions are easily available.

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